Our Vision

There are a number of stakeholders involved in the Ulster Canal Greenway. It started out as Monaghan County Council initiative, when they opened a 4.2km section of the disused canal through Monaghan town.

Within a short time, the vision had expanded, when Waterways Ireland were given the remit by the North South Ministerial Council to pursue the development of a greenway along the entire length of the former canal.

In exploring the potential for this project with the local authorities along the former canal, other options began to emerge, using disused railway lines which intersected the canal route to connect the region’s main towns to the greenway, providing an unbroken, interconnected network of routes right across central Ulster.

The routes are not set in stone – it’s a vision only – but a Strategic Plan is in place, and the Local authorities along the route are all committed to the Plan.

The routes on the Northern Ireland side of the border have all been written into the new Greenways Strategy for Northern Ireland, published in November 2016, where they were given Priority status.

Overview of the routes included in the Strategic Plan for the Ulster Canal Greenway